Story+1999-11-15+Cleveland,+OH

”Do I have a volunteer ?.....thank you, baby....I’m healed....I can feel the healing about to begin, baby....yes it is....I can feel it about to begin.....can you feel the spirit ?...I said can you feel the spirit ?....healing time (sings ‘It’s Alright’ and ‘Take Me to the River’) that’s right .....that’s where I wanna go tonight....I wanna go to the river ....I wanna find that river of life....I wanna seek out that river of love.....and happiness ...contentment....and the river of hope....and faith.....and the river of sanctification, let’s get sanctified now.....and that river of transformation where you can go and you can be changed.....and that river of resurrection, yes indeed....where everybody gets a second chance......when they need one.....that’s where I wanna go there tonight....and I want you to go with me.....and I need to go with you.....that’s why I’m here....because you can’t get there by yourself....no, you can’t.....when you’re young, you think you can .....and some old folks, they hold on to too, man.....and they’re running and they´re hiding.....but in the end you can’t get to that river.....by yourself.....well, now I found myself one evening..... I was a young man and I was standing before a dark grove of trees....but I was frightened to pass thru those trees, just like a little child that’s frightened.....and I was about to turn around....and my legs were so heavy.....and my arms were so heavy and I was feeling so tired.....but I said ‘Man, I’m not going thru those trees’ even though I knew that the river of life was waiting on the other side.....I said ‘Huh-huh, I’m gonna keep running, I’m gonna keep hiding, I’m gonna keep running, I’m gonna keep hiding because that’s what I know how to do’....and there was responsobilities that come with that life.....and man, I ain’t going there.....so I stood paralyzed.....about to give in.... when suddenly I heard a sweet sound.....coming thru the trees (Roy plays).....and I stepped into the forest.... and there was a gypsy lady.....and she said ‘Son, hold on a minute’..... and I told her my fears and she said ‘You’ll be all right.....you don’t need to be frightened but what you do need......is you need some help.....you need some friends along with you.....what you need ,son, is you need a band’ (cheers)....and that’s why I’d like to introduce tonight, on the piano, the dean of the university of musical perversity, Professor Roy Bittan at the piano (cheers) .....standing with me at the riverside.... on the bass guitar, the foundation of the E Street nation, southern man, Mr.Garry W.Tallent (cheers)....with me at the riverside .....on the guitar, Secretary of faith and friendship and faith, keeper of all that is righteous, star of the Sopranos, Little Steven on the guitar (cheers) .....come on brother stand with me at the riverside.....on the drums..... Minister of the mighty beat, Secretary of syncopation, the man that night after night he brings the power with him, Mighty Max Weinberg, star of Late Night Television (cheers)....the Secretary of heart and deep spirit, on the guitar, the great Nils Lofgren (cheers)....standing with me at the riverside.....and the Minister of mystery and all things unfathomable in this life, on the organ and the accordion, my brother Dan Federici (?) (cheers)....and as I walked thr those trees.....I could see a crowd of people standing along the riverbanks (cheers).... but I couldn’t go on yet..... because there was still something missing.....something mighty important.....something that I can’t go on without , do I have to say his name ? ....’
 * 15.11.99 Cleveland, Ohio, middle of ‘Tenth Avenue Freeze Out’:**

´´Thank you.....this is uh.....gonna dedicate this to some friends of ours in the (?) tonight .....this is for the Cleveland Foodbank, all the folks from.....Cleveland Foodbank who’ve been with us the past two nights.....they’re out there in the lobby so you can seek ‘em out .....they’ve been....working to fight hunger here in....in Cleveland since 1979.....they’re uh.... non-profit food distribution center, they work.....to provide....all the grass root organizations with food to help your struggling neighbours here in the Greater....Cleveland area, they deserve your time and support....they´re out there in the hall (cheers)...stop by and say hello ....this is for them and this is for uh.....you two oldies.....alright, first time, we’ll see how we’ll do (chuckles).....”
 * 15.11.99 Cleveland, Ohio, intro to ‘No Surrender’:**

´´Cleveland !....(?)...is anybody from Maledonia ?....Cleveland !....Cleveland !....Cleveland ! ....Cleveland !....but everywhere I´ve gone I´ve seen people lost in the wilderness....I´ve seen people lost in confusion....I´ve seen people lost in the Cleveland Browns memorabilia....I´ve seen people sticking pins in the (?) Modell voodoo doll....I´ve seen people lost in confusion, in faithlessness, in hopelessness but that´s alright ´cause tonight we´re here on a search-and-rescue mission, we´ve come thousands of miles and if you´re downhearted, if you´re disgusted, if you´re dispossessed, if you´re downsized, analyzed, stigmatised, retropsychedelicized, Pokemonized, Pikachu-ized and I know you are....if your heart´s on empty, if your soul bankrupt, if your spirit´s i got bad credit, I´m here tonight to re-educate, to resuscitate, to regenerate, to reconfiscate, to reindoctrinate, to reillustrate, to resexualate, to rededicate, to reliberate you with the power and the glory, with the power and the glory, with the power and the glory, with the power and the glory, with the majesty, with the mystery....with the mystery....with the ministry of rock and roll !....it´s alive....it´s alive.... and we´re doing it....that´s right....now, unlike my competitors, I shall not, I will not, I shall not, I cannot promise you life everlasting....but I can promise you life....right now !....and all you´ve got to do is raise your hand, raise your hand and say ´I´....” "(Steve: "The Boss has left the building...I mean his mind has left the building")..."
 * 15.11.99 Cleveland, OH, middle of ´Light of Day´**
 * 15.11.99 Cleveland, OH, towards the end of "Blinded by the Light"**

//Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi//